Safety blasting cable spool



Dec. 30, 1941 H M STEPH Patented Dec. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAFETY BLASTING CABLE SPOOL Henry M; Stephens, Montgomery, W. Va. Application November 15, 1940, Serial No. 365,809 5 Claims. (o1. 242-96) This invention relates to certain novel improvements in a safety blasting cable spool or carrier and has for its principal object the provision of an improved construction of this character which will be highly eflicient in use and economical in manufacture. Y

Under present existing requirements pertaining to mining, a blaster or powderman, as he is commonly called, must carry on his person a blasting battery. This is to prevent the man from attaching the ends of the wire of the battery prior to his retreat to safety or prior to proper installation of the plant.

In some instances the battery is either forgotten by the powderman or by reason of its looseness in his pocket is caused to drop and be thereby damaged or otherwise rendered incapable of performance.

It is therefore the object of this invention to provide a blasting cable spool or carrier which carries the blasting battery in such a manner that the powderman cannot attach the wire thereto until he has completely unwound from the reel the proper length of wire from the place of blasting which, at the present time, is fixed by law at approximately one hundred feet, thereby assuring retreat from the place of blasting by the powderman to his safety and to the safety of all concerned.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross sectional detail view of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view of the same taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the invention with the cable removed therefrom.

The drawing illustrates the preferred form of construction of my invention. In this particular instance, my invention comprises a reel III which may be of any suitable or conventional structure including a transverse axle II. This axle provides oppositely disposed hub portions l2 which receive the hub portions of the reel l0. One end of the axle H is in the form of a straight handle [3 extending exterior of the reel Ill. The opposite end portion of the axle l l is formed into a handle crank l4 likewise extending exterior of the reel. The arrangement is such that the operator may hold the handle portion l3 while winding or unwinding the cable hereinafter referred to from the reel by manipulation of the crank handle I4. The

reel I0 provides a groove IS in which the cable i6 heretofore referred to is wound. H

The intermediate portion of the axle H demember 25 of the reel III. This cover when in latched position in the manner shown in Fig. 3

conceals a terminal bearing end 26 of the battery and when the cable I6 is wound on the reel it is evident that the cover is held in closed position preventing access to the terminals 21 of the battery, thus requiring that the cable I6 be unwound from the reel before the cover can be pivoted to expose these terminals to permit the workman or powderman to attach the ends of the cable thereto.

To complete the invention there is provided a means for carrying the reel about. This means is in the forms of-a bail 28 pivotally connected as at 29 to the hubs l2 of the axle II.

In use the powderman will attach the ends 3 of the cable to the charge. When this is accomplished, he will unwind the cable from the reel Walking away from the place of confinement of the charge. When the cable is completely unwound from the reel the cover 23 may be pivoted to expose the terminals 21 to which the powderman attaches the opposite ends of the cable to explode the charge. It is thus apparent that before this battery is exposed for connection to the opposite ends of the cable, the workman is a considerable distance from the charge or, in other words, in a safe zone as it required him to unwind the cable completely from the reel before he was in a position to attach the opposite ends of the cable to the battery.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. 1, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of constructhe circumferences of the cable, a pivoted cover for the battery, said cover being held against removal by the said cable when wound upon the reel.

2. In a device of the class described, a reel upon which a cable is adapted to be wound, an axle supporting the reel for rotation and including opposite hand engaging portions, a blasting battery, means providing a carriage for the battery within the interior of the reel and within the circumferences of the cable, a pivoted cover for the battery, said cover being held against removal by the said cable when wound upon the reel, and a handle.member secured to the axle.

3. A device of the class described including a reel, a cable wound upon said reel, a blasting battery, means supporting the battery in the reel, a cover pivotally carried by the reel and disposed over the terminal bearing end of the said battery, said cover being normally held against removal from said position by the cable upon said reel.

4. A device of the class described including a reel, a cable wound upon said reel, a blasting battery, means supporting the battery in the reel, a cover pivotally carried by the reel and disposed over the terminal bearing end of the said battery, said cover being normally held against removal from said position by the cable upon said reel, and latch means for said cover and carried with the reel to hold said cover in saidnormal position.

5. A device of the class described including a reel, a cable wound upon said reel, a blasting battery, means supporting the battery in the reel, a cover pivotally carried by the reel and disposed over the terminal bearing end of the said battery, said cover being normally held against removal from said position by the cable upon said reel, latch means for said cover and carried with the reel to hold said cover in said normal position, and handle means associated with the reel. H

HENRY M. STEPHENS. 

